Philippines: No permission-seeking in 2024 Ayungin ‘understanding’ with China

AYUNGIN MISSION. The MV Lapu-Lapu approaches the BRP Sierra Madre during a September 26 RORE mission to Ayungin Shoal. AFP (1st UPDATE) The DFA pushes back after China’s envoy claims the Philippines agreed not to construct on the BRP Sierra Madre in a 2024 temporary deal MANILA, Philippines – The Philippines’ Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Thursday, July 23, that a temporary deal with China in 2024 does not mean Filipinos seek permission for resupply missions, allow the boarding or inspections of Philippine ships, “concede the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction” in Ayungin Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. “As stated from the outset, the Provisional Understanding is a set of principles and approaches observed by both sides in order to avoid misunderstanding and miscalculation in the conduct of the Philippines’ routine rotation and resupply (RORE) missions for daily necessities to the BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal,” said the DFA in a statement. The provisional understanding, sometimes called a provisional agreement, was made between the two countries in 2024 a month after China Coast Guard (CCG) personnel harassed Filipino soldiers who were already moored by the BRP Sierra Madre, a warship that serves as a makeshift outpost in Ayungin (Second Thomas) Shoal in the West Philippine Sea. That 2024 incident resulted in one soldier losing his thumb and Philippine Navy equipment destroyed as the CCG intervened in a RORE mission to the Sierra Madre. It’s a deal that’s made headlines recently after a July 20, 2026 confrontation between the CCG and Philippine soldiers, the first in two years. CCG personnel entered Ayungin Shoal and sailed around the BRP Sierra Madre, taking photos and videos, according to the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP). Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan, speaking to media on Tuesday, July 21, said the CCG were reportedly inspecting the warship to check on reported construction activities as proof of the Philippines bringing in supplies — a supposed violation of the agreement, according to the ambassador. Much has been said about the provisional agreement — many of it rooted in speculation, no thanks to its secrecy. The exact details of the understanding have never been made public. Ironically, its secrecy is one of the few things made public about the agreement. “The Philippines’ legal position, grounded in [United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea] and vindicated by the Arbitral Tribunal, remains unchanged and non-negotiable,” said the DFA. By stating that the agreement “does not concede the Philippines’ sovereignty, sovereign rights and jurisdiction,” the DFA is indirectly addressing Jing’s claims. Ayungin Shoal, as affirmed by the 2016 Arbitral Award, is a low-tide elevation that is part of the Philippines’ exclusive economic zone where it should enjoy exclusive rights to exploit and protect resources. That means the Philippines should not be restrictied from activities in those waters, to include building or strengthening structures such as the BRP Sierra Madre. “The Philippines continues to conduct rotation and resupply missions, including normal shipboard activities in BRP Sierra Madre, as a matter of routine government function within Philippine jurisdiction and in the exercise of its sovereign rights under international law particularly UNCLOS and the 2016 Arbitral Award, and will continue to do so for as long as necessary in line with the national interest,” said the DFA. The agreement was made under former foreign affairs secretary Enrique Manalo, although the current Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Maria Theresa Lazaro was then the undersecretary that led efforts to speak to China. “There is no mention of that undertaking in the provisional understanding,” Lazaro said in a press briefing following the ASEAN foreign ministers meeting on Thursday, referring to Jing’s claim that construction and construction materials were not permitted. – Rappler.com How does this make you feel? Loading